Baccarat game with additional betting option

ABSTRACT

A casino baccarat game includes an additional betting area for each of the Player hand and Banker hand, and payout based upon a pre-established payout table for each of one or more specific card combinations dealt for the respective hand. The card combinations include at least one or more of the following: a pair, a suited pair, three of a kind, three of a kind all of the same suit, a three card straight, a three card flush, a three card straight-flush.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of gaming, and morespecifically to the field of the game of Baccarat game with additionalbetting option.

There are several variations on Baccarat play, depending upon the venue.A basic set of rules follows. There are two hands played in Baccarat—the“player”]hand and the “banker” hand. You can bet on either one. If thehand you bet on wins, you receive an even money (1:1) payoff. There isone other bet you can make—the tie bet. If you make this bet and the twohands tie, you receive an 8:1 payoff. Ties, however, occur less thanonce out of every ten hands.

At the start, each hand receives 2 cards. When necessary, additionalcards are drawn according to the rules. The hand closest to 9 wins.

10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all count as 0. The ace through 9 cardshave face values of 1 to 9, respectively. To determine the value of eachhand, you simply add the cards. If the total is over 10, the first digitis ignored. So an 8 and a 6 would normally equal 14, but since wedisregard the first digit, we instead have a hand of 4. Similarly, a 6and 4 would equal 0, and a 10 and 9 would equal 9.

If the first two cards total 9, the hand is called a “natural” andautomatically wins. Two cards totaling 8 is also referred to as anatural, and it wins automatically too, unless the hand it is playingagainst has a natural as well. When both hands contain a natural, thehigher natural hand wins (9 beating an 8). If the hands have equalvalue, it is a tie.

When neither hand has a natural, there is no automatic winner, andadditional cards are drawn to determine the outcome of the hand.

The Player Hand

The player hand is played first, according to the following rules: Whenthe first two cards equal . . . . . . the player must 6, 7, 8, or 9Stand Any other value Draw one card

The player hand can never receive more than one additional card. Thehand must stand after the third card, regardless of its value at thatpoint.

The Banker Hand

The banker hand is a bit more complicated. How the banker hand getsplayed is usually determined by what the player hand's third card is. Ifthe player did not draw a third card (i.e. had a 6 or higher), then thebanker draws a card only if its first two cards total less than 5.Otherwise, the banker stands.

If the player did draw a third card, then the banker plays as follows:When the banker's first two cards equal . . . . . . the banker draws ifthe player's third card is: 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 4 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7 5 4, 5, 6, 7 6 6, 7 . . . the banker will: 2 or less Always draw 7,8, or 9 Always standWins, Losses, and Ties

The hand closest to nine always wins. If there is a natural, it is anautomatic winner, and no further cards are drawn.

Banker and player bets pay even money when you win. A winning bankerbet, however, is subject to a 5% house commission. So, if you made a $5banker bet and won, you would receive $5.00 minus 5% ($0.25), whichwould actually be $4.75. If the two hands tie, neither bet wins norloses any money. If you made a tie bet, however, you would receive an8:1 payoff.

Although banker bets must pay a 5% commission when won, they are stillgood bets to make since banker hands actually win more frequently thanplayer hands. All things considered, the banker and player bets give youabout the same odds. In both cases, the house edge is quite small—infact, it is only 1.17% on banker bets, and a 1.36% on player bets. Froma statistical standpoint, you are slightly better off wagering on thebanker, albeit not by much.

It is not necessary to memorize the rules to play; They areautomatically followed and implemented by the dealer. A player shouldnot be confused with the Player's hand or the Bank, neither of which isthe casino. A player may bet either side, i.e., bet either that thePlayer hand will win, or that the Banker hand will win.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a casino baccaratgame that generates increased enthusiasm from players, the house andonlookers, without disturbing materially the usual and normal play oftraditional baccarat.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, astandard baccarat table wherein the improvement comprises an additionalbetting area and payout based upon pre-established card combinationssimilar to combinations found in the game of poker.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of thepresent invention is disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

The drawing constitutes a part of this specification and includes anexemplary embodiment to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an overhead view of a baccarat gaming table in accordance witha preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Various aspects of the invention may beinverted, or changed in reference to specific part shape and detail,part location, or part composition. Therefore, specific detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as abasis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching oneskilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually anyappropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Turning to FIG. 1 there is shown a modified baccarat table 10 inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Thetable 10 is in most respects the same as a conventional baccarat table,but includes an additional betting area 15 for each person wagering.Additional betting area 15 provides for gambles to wager on particularcombinations of cards dealt in either the Player hand 17 or Banker hand19.

Though many combinations are possible, in an exemplar embodiment, payoutcan be made in accordance with a pre-established payout table for eachcombination when, for example, 1) a pair is dealt, 2) a pair having thesame suit, e.g., two 3 of diamonds, 3) three of a kind, 4) three of akind with the same suit, 5) a three card flush, e.g., three clubs, 6) athree card straight, and 7) a three card straight all of the same suit.Other combinations can be established and have corresponding payouts foreach combination.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable toin-person baccarat games, as well as video, internet and other virtualbased baccarat games.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended tocover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

1. A casino baccarat game comprising: an additional betting area foreach of the Player hand and Banker hand, and payout based upon apre-established payout table for each of one or more specific cardcombinations dealt for the respective hand.
 2. A casino baccarat game asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the card combinations include one or more ofthe following: a pair, a suited pair, three of a kind, three of a kindall of the same suit, a three card straight, a three card flush, a threecard straight-flush.